Sewer woes continue in Indian River

Saturday

Nov 9, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Kortny Hahn

Once again, the proposed sewer project was the main topic of discussion at the Tuscarora Township board meeting earlier this week.
Those opposed were out in force after the second round of bids for the proposed wastewater treatment facility came back higher than desired.
Several in attendance asked why the board is still pursuing the project even though it has met strong opposition and the bids are consistently coming in over budget.
“We were asked to do this,” clerk Sue Fisher said.
Fisher said the board was presented with petitions from residents in the special sewer assessment district to pursue the sewer project, and that even though there have been the problems with the project, the board must see it through to the end.
Board trustee Craig Waldron said in his update on the sewers that the second bids came back and were still high, but considerably lower than the first round of bids.
“I don’t believe there’s any action the board will be taking,” Waldron said. “We don’t have enough information to take any action. From some of the comments, it seems there’s a lot of confusion of what is in and what is not.”
Waldron recommended the board hold a meeting in a week to 10 days, after it is able to collect more information.
The first bids were a disaster, Waldron said, and it made the board learn some things, including that the manner in which the figures were being calculated were wrong. After the second bids came back as high as they did, the board decided it needed to go back to the drawing board.
“We’re right back at the original concept plan,” Waldron said. “We’re right back to where we started.”
Resident Janet Vance said the proposed sewer project has changed significantly from when it started. She said the bids have come back approximately $2 million over budget in two separate bid solicitation efforts.
Vance said there is a clear majority of people who are against the sewer, so there is no reason to move forward with the project.
According to Vance, the board made a commitment that if the cost per REU was over the price that was originally quoted, in writing, then the project would be null and void.
Robert Morris, a retired wastewater treatment plant manager and township resident, said he had done some research and the cost for the current project, per annual REU, for Indian River was more than $1,839.
This figure is more than four times what Alanson pays and more than seven times what Harbor Springs pays for their wastewater treatment facilities.
“No one has said they have to do this,” Morris said. “There is no mandate. It’s optional.”
Royce Juntunen said in the many years he has been a resident of Tuscarora Township, since the 1940s, he has always had a septic system and it has never posed a problem He had to put in a new septic system when roots from the lilac plants grew too long, he said.
“The secret is, take care of your septic and your septic will take care of you,” Juntunen said.
“In a nutshell, it costs me less than $100 a year to take care of my septic. It’s up to you,” he said.
“Do you want to pay $1,800? I can’t afford it. We don’t need this damn thing.”
Resident and business owner Richard Kristin compared the sewer project to putting an addition on his building in town. If the bids for the project originally came back at $4 million and then the contractor rebid the project at $6 million, he wouldn’t continue, and he doesn’t understand why the township continues.
“I think it would be financial suicide,” Kristin said.
“My wife and I are not against the sewers. They have their place and they have their reason. But we are against what has transpired these last couple years.”
According to Waldron, the most recent project that was bid includes 19,000 linear feet of gravity sewer, two pump stations and nine grinder stations.
The current plans and the power point presented at the meeting will be made available on the township website for public review.
Waldron went through the project step-by-step, how it has evolved from its original concept to what it is currently.
As originally presented in August 2011, there would be 16,500 linear feet of gravity sewer, two pumps and eight grinders. The following June, the contract was signed with Gourdie-Fraser to start the engineering and design process.
Moving the sewer mains to the side streets to avoid shutting down businesses on the main street during the summer, or disrupting the streetscape project after it was started was discussed.
“I was willing to take more linear feet of gravity sewer, as long as it wasn’t as deep,” Waldron said. “We had to go with deeper mains in a couple of places that were lower, like along South Street, beside Pat and Gary’s.”
Waldron said signs that have been popping up around the area that say “Grinder Pump Here” are incorrect because there are not grinder pumps there, nor will there be.
Brad Schepperley said as a licensed operator of a wastewater system, he has an obligation to make sure things are done right.
He told the board that he has reviewed the current plan and found 39 different Public Act 41 violations on the second drawing that went out to bid, which is why there was an amendment and a delay in getting the bids back.
Schepperley said in the duplex grinder, 400 gallon tank, in the event of a power failure, the township is looking at two and a half hours until the tank begins to overflow.